Assam govt consolidates elementary, secondary education dept into one school education department

Guwahati (Assam) [India], September 12 : The Assam government has consolidated the Department of Elementary Education and the Department of Secondary Education into one department named the 'Department of School Education'.
Assam Education Minister, Dr Ranoj Pegu told ANI that, education under the National Education Policy (NEP) is divided into school education and higher education.
"In school education earlier we have two departments - Department of Elementary Education and Department of Secondary Education. But at the central ministry level, there is the Department of School Education. So, in the line with the department under the Ministry of Human Resources, we have merged the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education into one department of School Education and this is in line with NEP," Dr Pegu said.
Talking about the implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP) the Assam Education Minister said that, the Assam government has already initiated the introduction of 4-year degree courses in colleges.
"A few months back, the state cabinet endorsed the 4-year degree course in line with NEP and we are going to implement this course from 2023. This is a student-centric programme and where every year if the student successfully completes the semesters then they can get a certificate in the first year, a diploma in the second year, in the third year they can get a Bachelor's degree without honour's & research and after completion of the fourth year, they can get a degree with honour's and research. The Universities have already started their curriculum," Dr Ranoj Pegu said.
The Assam Education Minister further said that there are a large number of schools in Assam with an unsustainable enrollment and so the state government is merging those schools which are having an unsustainable enrollment.